


Warm

by KellCavs



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Heavy Angst, Red Plague (The Arcana), The Lazaret (The Arcana)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 20:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17535734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KellCavs/pseuds/KellCavs
Summary: I tried to reach out my magic in hope of feeling Asra close by. He was never far off. He promised me that he'd never be where my magic couldn't find him.I must be too weak, I thought mournfully. I can't feel Asra at all. I am truly alone now.





	Warm

_I am too warm_ , I thought distantly. _Why am I so warm?_  
I must have made some sort of noise because someone walked over to me. I couldn't tell who - or even if it was a man or a woman because of the crisp white mask that covered their face.  
“Warm,” I felt my lips form the words though I couldn't hear them.  
“You're as cold as ice,” the person said as they pressed a gloved hand to my forehead. When they pulled their hand away, the glove glistened with sweat.  
“Warm,” I said again.  
“Perhaps some water?” the person suggested.  
I shook my head and closed my eyes and tried to remember why I was so warm to begin with.  
Across the room, I heard someone cry out in pain and curse in a language I didn't know. A few masked individuals ran over and surrounded them before I could see.  
A wave of nausea came over me and I felt my body move of its own accord, trying to evacuate the contents of my stomach. Red bile appeared on the blanket and on the front of my shirt.  
Suddenly, I remembered why I was so warm and terror broke over me.  
The Red Plague.  
_I have the plague_..  
Asra. Asra warned me. He begged me to leave the city with him. He insisted we could find somewhere safe to wait out the worst of the disease. I told him no. I wanted to stay. We had a fight. He left. I stayed.  
And now I have the plague.  
I wanted to help find a cure. I studied under a doctor... We were working together.  
Julian.  
Where is Julian?  
I made another sound, and this one I do hear.  
I let out a sob, twisted and pained sounding as I try to sit up in bed. The pain and effort is too much and I nearly fainted from the exertion.  
_I need to find Julian_ , I thought.  
A doctor noticed me and hurried over with a damp rag to wipe my face. The cloth came away bloody from my mouth after they cleaned my skin.  
I shivered and let out another cry.  
The doctor gently tucked me in and ran their hand over my forehead.  
“Won't be long now, child,” they soothed.  
My heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest and I shut my eyes as tears burned them.  
“Jul...” I choked out. Fear coursed through me and I broke out in an ice cold sweat. I shivered despite the heat I still felt.  
The doctor shook their head.  
“Hush, save your strength.”  
“Please,” I begged, “I don't want to die alone. I need to see Julian. Where's Julian?”  
“I'm sure he'll be back soon. Just rest up, yes?”  
I shut my eyes and groaned as I felt myself vomit once again.  
The doctor tutted and wiped my mouth clean with the clean side of the rag. They moved away to tend to another patient and left me alone.   
Thoughts of Asra crossed my mind. Sweet, mischievous, gentle, patient Asra. My best friend, my love, my partner.  
What was it we spoke about when we took long walks in the market? I can't remember now, the memories are foggy...  
A single tear fell down my cheek, cool against the blaze of my skin. My heart ached, for what, I didn't know.  
I tried to reach out with my magic in hope of feeling Asra close by. He was never far off. He promised me that he'd never be where my magic couldn't find him.  
_I must be too weak. That's all. Asra wouldn't abandon me,_ I thought _. I can't feel Asra at all though. I am truly alone now._  
I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep.

When I awoke, I was being lifted from my bed. Someone lifted me up from the cot, their arms sliding easily under my legs and back. My nightgown slid up my thighs and I felt the hands of whoever was holding me, warm beneath thick leather gloves.  
I opened my eyes and blearily, I looked up at the person who took me from my bed.  
A black mask obscured their face, hiding their identity from me. The long beak brushed against my hair and I smiled in spite of the situation.  
It's just Julian. He is taking me home. He's found a cure to the Red Plague and he's taking me home to nurse me back to health. The city is saved and everyone will be well again. No disease will take over our city.  
Asra will come home and he'll be so happy that I'm alive. I can't wait to see him. We can finally finish our talk. What did we talk about on our long walks in the market? Was it a family? Do I have a family?  
I felt the cool air on my skin and I cried out weakly. I'm too cold now. We must be outside. My shop isn't too far of a walk from here. I hope the door is unlocked so Julian can take me to my bed.  
I opened my eyes again and saw that we were walking towards the docks. This isn't the way to my shop. Where are we going?  
The doctor - Julian. That's his name... He's taking me to a boat. There's others on the boat. They're all lying down. Some of them have sheets over their faces.  
Don't they want to look at the stars?  
He lays me down on the boat and another doctor in a mask starts to row away from the dock, leaving Julian behind. I think the stars are red tonight. It's summertime. Of course they're red. They're warm. I am warm.  
I am in the boat for a long time and maybe it's no time at all.  
Another doctor, Julian, I think that's his name, lifts me out of the boat and holds me against his chest.  
I hear people coughing and crying. I recognize prayers here and there. _Should I pray? Is this a holy place?_  
“She's still alive,” this Julian said.  
“Barely,” another Julian replied.  
“Seems an awful way to go.”  
“Better than the Plague. It's quicker.”  
_Go? Go where? Where am I going?_  
Julian takes me into a warm building and sets me down on the ground. It's soft, a little dusty, and too humid. It's ash. This is where they take sick people. _I am sick_.  
I grab onto Julian's coat and I am aware of leaving bloody red fingerprints on his coat.  
“Don't. Leave,” I whispered. I couldn't breathe in here. I didn't want to stay here. I wanted to go home. “Don't. Go.”  
I coughed loudly, spraying blood and something yellow down my nightgown.  
“It'll be alright,” he said, “Just go to sleep.”  
“Jules,” I whispered. “Julian... Tell... Tell Asra.. I'm sorry.”  
He gently pried my fingers loose and nodded and stood and left me.  
_I am too warm_ , I thought distantly as I drifted off to sleep, _Why am I so warm?_

**Author's Note:**

> Figures the first thing I'd write for this fandom made my heart crack in two. Maybe I'll give Myrna something nice next time.
> 
> I always wondered if the apprentice felt abandoned in their last delirious hours of life. What did they think about?
> 
> I tried to write "panicked and sick," and I hope I did it right. Let me know what you think!


End file.
